Predicate Adjective
Predicate adjectives function as subject complements: rather than modifying a noun directly before it, they occur after a linking-type verb and attribute a quality or state to the subject. This distinguishes them from direct objects and from ordinary attributive adjectives.
A predicate adjective is an adjective or adjective phrase that follows a linking verb and describes the subject, as in “The room feels cold.”
Key details
Important caveats
Scope Boundary
Not every adjective after a verb is a predicate adjective. Confirm that the verb links the subject to a description rather than taking the adjective as part of another construction.
Further guidance
Application
In “The soup smells wonderful,” “wonderful” describes “the soup” through the linking verb “smells,” so it functions as a predicate adjective.
Core Rule
A predicate adjective describes the subject from the predicate, typically after a linking verb.
Practical Application
Identify a predicate adjective by structure: it follows a linking verb and describes the subject rather than directly modifying a noun before it. Use the test to distinguish it from an object or an attributive adjective.
Reader Check
Find the verb and ask what the adjective describes. If it attributes a quality or state back to the subject through a linking verb, it is functioning as a predicate adjective.
Worked Example
In “The room feels cold,” “cold” describes “the room” through the linking verb “feels.” Compare attributive “the cold room,” where the adjective appears directly before the noun.
Sources and evidence
Sources are shown with the role they play in this guide. Historical or style-sensitive claims are kept within the evidence boundary described above.
- Subject complements — Cambridge Grammar (opens in a new tab)Cambridge University Press · Grammar evidence that adjective phrases can function as subject complements after linking-type verbs.
- Sentence Structure — University Writing Center (opens in a new tab)Dallas Baptist University Writing Center · Institutional writing guidance defining a predicate adjective as an adjective that describes the subject.